A few activists and progressive groups in Mysuru came out with out-of-the-box thinking to circumvent the prohibitory orders under Section 144 imposed across the State as per which assembly of five or more persons was banned.
The activists in Mysuru demonstrating against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) came in groups of two or held solo protests in front of their house or on the office premises at different places.
Ugra Narasimhe Gowda, Mysuru city convenor of Swaraj India, said that a former corporator and social activist Shaukat Pasha, had decided to hold a solo protest in front of Gandhi Square and hence he decided to extend his support to the cause.
But they decided to shift the venue from the Gandhi Square in Town Hall, where another protest was initially planned and subsequently cancelled, to the Gandhi Statue in front of the court premises. “We demonstrated for nearly an hour when the police reached the spot and asked us to disperse in view of the prohibitory orders in place’’, said Mr. Gowda.
The police also faulted them for not seeking permission to stage a protest in public place following which the activists left the spot around 10.10 a.m.
Similarly, two office-bearers of the Communist Party of India, Basavaraju and Jagadish Surya, sat in the portico of the party office and held placards against the CAA and NRC.
The police was in a dilemma on dealing with the situation as they protest was technically being held within the office premises. Both Mr. Basavaraju and Mr. Surya staged a silent demonstration for nearly an hour.
Activists K.S. Shivaramu and Mahesh Chandra Guru held placards and staged a demonstration in front of their house.
The CPI General Secretary Rajendra sat on a demonstration in front of his house in Kuvempunagar area of the city.
